Best Face Exfoliators for Each Skin Type

Why do you need the best face exfoliator?

To wear, to touch, or to kiss, a smooth and radiant skin is the ultimate beauty goal that transcends both gender and age. So, we tirelessly cleanse, tone, treat, moisturize and repeat, in hope that these powerful skincare techniques will make us a tiny bit younger, a tiny bit softer, and a tiny bit healthier.

But what about that extra step?

Is exfoliation a necessary addition to our daily beauty regimens?

You know those stubborn little clogs of dirt that stay visible on your forehead, around your nose, and deep down in your chin even after you’ve carefully washed your face? Frustrating, right? Discouraging, even. Well, exfoliation is all about nipping them in the bud. It’s also about anti-aging and rejuvenating.

To put it simply, exfoliators can reach the depths of your skin that stay inaccessible to most face washes. By doing so, they remove all the excess oil and dirt that’s been piling up inside of your pores, leaving your skin not only fresh-looking and lustrous, but also thoroughly cleansed and blemish free.

Over time, exfoliators reverse the troubling signs of aging and stop the formation of free radicals, thus eliminating and preventing that lack of vitality that causes your complexion to become wrinkled, lacklustre and dull. And that, dear beauty hunters, is why you need to discover the best face exfoliator.

We’ve compiled a list of brilliant exfoliating products to help you say goodbye to impurities.

But before you do, take a look at exfoliation types and learn how to choose them.

Different Types of Exfoliation

There are two different ways you can approach this beauty technique, and your choice should depend on what suits and soothes your skin the most. It goes without saying that both have their lists of pros.

Meet chemical and mechanical exfoliation:

Chemical Exfoliators

Don’t be afraid of how they sound, since “chemical” here refers not to something artificial and therefore harmful but stands to differentiate this method from mechanical exfoliation. It also underlines that products hereby used are based on chemical acids that are crazy beneficial to the skin.

The two acids you must become familiar with are AHAs or alpha hydroxy acids and BHAs or beta hydroxy acids, found in all the best face exfoliators. While AHAs remove dead skin, thus stimulating growth of new and healthier skin cells, BHAs dissolve excess oil, thus eliminating acne and blackheads.

AHAs – most popular of which are mandelic acid, lactic acid and glycolic acid – moisturize your skin in the process, while BHAs – almost always referring to salicylic acid, which is a derivative of aspiring – protects skin from irritation and inflammation. Together, they make a powerhouse of skin benefits.

Mechanical Exfoliators

Mechanical exfoliation is essentially a manual deep cleanse method that can, but doesn’t have to, include chemical exfoliators. It uses some type of textured tool, such is a sponge or a face exfoliator brush, to scrape all dirt from pores, typically in addition to a facial scrub made from AHAs or BHAs.

What Exfoliators Does Your Skin Need?

Like all cosmetic products, facial exfoliators should be used in accordance to your specific skin type. If you have no idea which bracket you belong to, you can find it out here. Choosing an exfoliating product that suits your skin type is crucial, since mismatches can cause irritation and worsen your complexion.

Here’s a list to help you start with your search.

Best Exfoliators for Dry SkinIt’s not only a sensitive skin type that’s problematically delicate. Dry skin can be difficult to manage too, especially if it feels tight and itchy, looks rough, and is prone to flaking, peeling and redness. To avoid this, use mechanical exfoliators for the first few months and watch the way your skin behaves.

If everything looks fine, feel free to start introducing gentler chemical exfoliators to your routine. It’s best to use them once a week at first, and then gradually move up to twice a week. If there’s flaking in the beginning, don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal. Everything that’s not excessive will work itself out.

The best exfoliator for dry skin is the one that makes your complexion pleasantly dewy.

Oily skin can take it all. It’s more or less why facial exfoliators have been invented in the first place, since this type of complexion is the one that struggles with excess sebum and clogged pores the most.

More than any other type, oily skin is because of that commonly associated with acne, blackheads, whiteheads and other types of blemishes. There’s no end to what the best face exfoliator can do to fix the problems it usually faces, with both mechanical and chemical methods being an excellent fit.

Whether you’re looking for the best exfoliator for oily skin or the best exfoliator for acne, look for BHAs, especially salicylic acid.

Paula’s Choice Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution works wonders for oily skin that’s prone to redness and breakouts, while NeoStrata’s Oily Skin Solution boasts a list of ingredients that penetrate the skin deeply to relieve of you of clog build-up. If you need a gentle solution that won’t irritate your skin, go for Rodin’s Facial Cleansing Powder or La Roche-Posay Ultra-Fine Exfoliating Face Wash. Peter Thomas Roth’s Firmx Peeling Gel is considered a combination skin formula, but it’s brilliant for oily skin as well.

Best Exfoliators for Combination Skin

You can recognize this type of complexion by uneven oiliness, with excess sebum typically appearing in the T-zone, visible nose pores, and occasional dandruff. Combination skin is a special kind of a horror story – at the same time, it causes dry patches and breakouts, wreaking havoc on your self-esteem.

But the worst of all is that there’s no definitive cosmetic solution for this type of a mess. Choosing the best exfoliator for combination skin is usually a frustrating trial and error process, though lighter chemical peels and AHAs once a week, followed up by a courser scrub can help you speed it up.

Jurlique Fruit Enzyme Exfoliator and Garnier Clean + Balancing Daily Exfoliator are both based on fruit enzymes that guarantee a fresh glow without additionally oiling up the T-zone. Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel packs both glycolic and salicylic acid, thus simultaneously moisturizing your skin and keeping the sebum down to the minimum. Other great options are SkinCeuticals Purifying Cleanser and Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel, both made as cocktails with several types of acids. Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator yields amazing results too.

Best Exfoliators for Normal Skin

Normal skin is a no-brainer, since it doesn’t impose any particular problems that must be especially targeted during the skincare regimen. Ladies with this kind of complexion can use virtually anything that soothes their skin, though enzyme-based exfoliators and scrubs are typically considered the best.

In the high-end part of this category, you’ll find Colbert MD Daily Nutrition for Skin Intensify Facial Discs to be the most effective and pleasant of all. The best exfoliator for normal skin on budget is Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub. For normal-to-oily skin, use Sibu Beauty Exfoliating Scrub or Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Buff Beads For Face And Body, while Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula and Caudalie Deep Cleansing Exfoliator are brilliant if you have normal-to-dry skin.

And remember – the best face exfoliator is always the one that heals and flatters your skin.

Browsing for exfoliating methods and products according to the skin type is a good way to start, but don’t despair if these guidelines don’t lead you to the perfect solution. Your skin might be super-special, and that’s fine. You might need some extra time to discover what suits you the most, and that’s also fine. Your magic formula is definitely out there, so stay patient and never stop searching.

To test how your skin responds to exfoliation, try Zelens Micro-Refiner Bi-Active Exfoliator, The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution or Estee Lauder, Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Toning Lotion/Refiner. They are currently considered the best face exfoliators for all skin types, which makes them perfect for determining where you stand, what you need, and how to approach this technique.